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Team Duran Racing's ace rally duo of Hyderabad's Naveen Puligilla and co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasaragod produced a stunning performance to win the ARC3 class in the 2026 Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally, the third round of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC), which concluded here late on Sunday night.
Apart from winning the ARC3 category, the Hyderabad-Kasaragod pair punched well above their weight in their Ford Fiesta Rally3, prepared and serviced by MRU Motorsport Africa, to finish an impressive fourth overall, competing against several more powerful Rally2 cars in a field of 17 entries from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Denmark and India, according to a press release. "These gravel stages are tough and technical, but also very fast. It is one of the fastest rallies I have experienced. I am delighted with this win," said Naveen. Touching speeds of nearly 170 kmph, Naveen and Musa dominated the ARC3 category by winning 12 of the 18 special stages. Holding a comfortable lead of nearly two minutes, they eased their pace in the final two stages to seal a convincing class victory. They completed the rally in 2 hours, 13 minutes and 48.3 seconds despite overcoming a mapping sensor issue during one of the special stages. Naveen, the reigning 2025 Indian National Rally Champion in the 3T class, was partnered by seasoned co-driver Musa Sherif, an eight-time Indian National Rally champion with over 34 years of rallying experience. "Naveen was fast and consistent throughout the rally, and the car felt great from start to finish. Winning the ARC3 class and finishing fourth overall against such a competitive field is a credit to the hard work of the entire team," said Musa. With this result, Naveen and Musa moved up to second place in the ARC3 championship standings. The pair had already created Indian motorsport history in November 2025 by becoming the first all-Indian driver and co-driver combination to secure a podium finish in any FIA World Rally Championship category, finishing second in the WRC3 class at Rally Saudi Arabia. The gruelling rally, held from July 10 to 12 on the demanding gravel roads of Rwanda's Bugesera District, covered a total distance of 307.52 km, including 252 km of competitive stages spread across 18 special stages. Kenya's Karan Patel won the overall rally ahead of Tanzania's Ahmed Huwel and Kenya's Aakif Virani, while Puligilla and Sherif finished fourth overall ahead of several higher-specification Rally2 cars. (ANI)
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